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    • Missing virtual driver in Patchbeam

      pirrbe

      PA 2023 22.00.08
      Long time no seeing. So I start up the new year with a first problem : the virtual driver cannot be installed. Reason : it is missing in the Fast Ring PatchBeam Update Service…
      Virtual driver PA 2023-01-28 152607.png
      It seems a standard problem with new releases :-)
      Can I have a link or can it be fixed. Thank you. CU later

      Tech Support
    • PA 21.00.18 testing via context menu causes extraction of files

      D

      When the function for testing archives is invoked via the shell context menu (PowerArchiver > Test) then all the files in the archive get extracted to the current folder.

      The test dialog reports as many errors as there are files in the archive but it fails to give any hint as to which files are supposed to be erroneous or what the nature of the problem might be. Comparing the extracted files to the originals shows no differences at all.

      The .7z in question was produced with maximised compression settings in 7zip (taking forever but resulting in smaller archives than .7z produced by PowerArchiver with maximised settings). Therefore I wanted to see whether PowerArchiver can at least test .7z that it produced itself. Hence I had PowerArchiver convert a .pa with the same contents to .7z. There weren’t any errors reported but the resulting .7z contained fewer than half of the files contained in the .pa (137 of 366), so I scratched that test.

      Performance is abysmal when testing via the context menu (e.g. almost 2 minutes for testing a .7z that 7zip tests in 4 seconds), but that is most likely due to the fact that the extracted files are written to disk. Testing the same .7z in the PowerArchiver GUI takes only 8 seconds but causes the mysterious appearance of a UAC dialog, as reported elsewhere.

      The testing function is vital because PowerArchiver has a history of producing archives that it cannot unpack without errors or that do not conform to the respective file format standards (e.g. ZIP) so that other programs report them as erroneous.

      The point of creating archives is that the files in them will most likely have to be extracted at some point. If the extraction cannot be guaranteed to produce correct results then the whole program is absolutely pointless. Actually, worse than pointless - it causes data loss and hence damage.

      Tech Support
    • Start PowerArchiver 2023 Starter when my computer starts

      Brian Gregory

      In PowerArchiver 2023 22.00.06 configuration, the option labelled “Start PowerArchiver 2023 Starter when my computer starts” seems to be redundant.

      I am only allowed to change this option when PA Starter is disabled, and then it seems to be ignored.

      When I enable PA Starter this option is forced to the enabled state.

      I think it’d be good to remove “Start PowerArchiver 2023 Starter when my computer starts” completely. I’ve always found it confusing having both options.

      Added later: However i don’t particularly want to use queue but I do like having the PAStarter icon in my tray area.

      Tech Support
    • Testing .pa archives

      PA_Fan

      W10 Pro 22H2 - 64 -bit

      PA 22.00.06 (PA 2023)

      It has been the case with previous versions of PowerArchiver, but I had hoped that the latest might behave differently. Not so, I’m afraid.

      I have, for various obscure reasons, created a few .pa archives, mainly in the hope that they will save me some more space. From time to time, I use the “Test” option to check that important archives are OK and uncorrupted.

      With every .pa archive I’ve tested, the process runs through OK but then reports that there are errors. This is always the number of files in the archive e.g. if 11 files, then 11 errors reported.

      In the .pa, I can:-

      preview the files (usually PDF) extract some or all files and look at or use them convert the .pa to a .zip or .zipx archive, which then works fine and tests without errors

      Is it the case that the Test routine isn’t designed for .pa archives, or is there another reason? Although the .pa seems to function properly, despite the test reporting errors, I would like to be sure that every .pa is OK and not “broken”.

      Some of the .pas are quite old and produced with earlier PA versions (they are truly “archives”). If I extract all the files in the old .pa, create a new, fresh .pa and add back the files to that, then test the new, no errors (at least in the .pa I’ve tried this on) are reported. This would suggest a mismatch between old .pas and newer versions of PA itself.

      Tech Support
    • PA 21.00.18 Action / Test behaves oddly for me on .PA files

      Brian Gregory

      PA 21.00.18 running on Windows 7 64 bit.
      I made a big .PA file and thought I’d check it was made correctly with Menu / Actions / Test.
      Discovered:
      a) PA always issues a UAC prompt to do this!
      b) PA always says there are many errors in PA files.

      Tech Support
    • Small UI / Theme bug in 2023

      Z

      Clipboard02.jpg

      See the, supposedly, blank space where the green box is? It’s like that in Modern Light theme too. I can toggle it, but it’s missing text or shouldn’t be there I guess?

      Thanks :)

      Tech Support
    • PowerArchiver and PACL for macOS

      spwolf

      Dear @Alpha-Testers and all of our users,

      time has come for testing of PowerArchiver and PACL for macOS.
      Please let us know here if you have Mac and can test latest builds.

      Features implemented:
      PowerArchiver 2020 - tabbing, opening, extracting, adding, testing, favorite folders, support for multiple languages, opening via Finder, explorer mode, installer.
      PACL 10 - support for most formats and features in Windows version.

      Upcoming: Tools such as archive converter, batch zip, multi-extract.

      To start testing, please sign up here in this thread, and we will send you latest build.

      thank you!

      Ashampoo_Snap_Wednesday, November 20, 2019_12h54m56s_008_.png Ashampoo_Snap_Wednesday, November 20, 2019_12h55m05s_009_.png Ashampoo_Snap_Wednesday, November 20, 2019_12h55m14s_010_.png Ashampoo_Snap_Wednesday, November 20, 2019_12h55m30s_011_.png Ashampoo_Snap_Wednesday, November 20, 2019_12h55m39s_012_.png Ashampoo_Snap_Wednesday, November 20, 2019_12h55m49s_013_.png Ashampoo_Snap_Wednesday, November 20, 2019_12h56m00s_014_.png Ashampoo_Snap_Wednesday, November 20, 2019_12h54m43s_007_.png

      76e97ab9-8d75-4175-9ce8-446500031f38-image.png

      Tech Support
    • Functions in Windows 11 context menu no longer work after last Windows Update

      T

      For some reason, the PowerArchiver functions in the Windows 11 context menu no longer work after the last Windows Update. Only the functions in the classic context menu function as they should.

      I’ve tried uninstalling PowerArchiver and using RevoUninstaller to remove all bits and pieces that were left behind and did a clean install of PowerArchiver, it didn’t fix the issue. Other items in the Windows 11 context menu work.

      Tech Support

    How to unpack a five Rar file archive

    Tech Support
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    • J
      jojothehobo last edited by

      Wow, you guys need some serious help in user-friendly instructions. The program looks great, and I’ve tried to use it a few times over the past few years, but each time I end up screaming at my computer and removing the program.
      The worst problem is deprecating the “new file types”. Inevitably once I pass an archive to Power Archiver it is like shredding the file. Usually file archiver finds a problem, like the worst lab instructor I ever had in college. Then there is no way to fix the problem. When I click on repair archive one of two things happen: the archive gets repaired and then doesn’t work or the archive can’t be repaired and then doesn’t work. Moreover when I try to go back to WinRar to open the archive I’m told that it belongs to Power Archiver now and it is gone forever.
      When I look for ways to go back to ordinary Winzip or Win Rar I’m told that the file formats have been changed and thats’ that. Your Forum has some posts about going back to the old winzip or win rar but only under special circumstances, which I think were related to the El Nino climate cycle off the coast of Ecuador. I couldn’t find the right combination of buttons and the other reader couldn’t either.

      Now that I"ve gotten some of that off my chest I’ll make a suggestion and ask something specific.

      My suggestion is to have a visual quickstart guide taking people through the basic tasks like unpacking a zip or rar archive and storing the program, music or what ever some place convenient. Include a few things that could go wrong. Do this for almost all the operating modes of the program. During the course of my thirty years as a Professor of Engineering I’ve seen that people prefer to build up to the general from the specific and that early on hands on examples are invaluable. Going in the other direction, from general to specific is guaranteed not to work.

      In my case I have, or had five zip archives I wanted to open and extract a large executable. Power Archiver got ahold of it and changed the file extensions to file archiver, an extension that no other compression archiver can even see. All this would be fine if Power Archiver were a friend. Instead it tells me my CRC file is off. I don’t recall having a CRC file for this archive. The program then asks if I just want to skip it, and I click yes. But Power archiver does nothing, sort of like a street tough daring you to do something and letting you know you have the problem and not Power ARchiver.

      So I try to deprecate to an earlier type of zip but find nothing. I create an SFX archive, which the program lets me do, but when I try to run it an ominous error message comes up saying, if I recall "didn’t we just tell you your CRC is bad, and now your back. Well I didn’t want the program to lose it’s patience, so I somehow got the SFX archive to extract the five component parts.

      But the parts are now completely inert and useless in that other unpack archives like Win Rar can’t see it and PA refuses to any more with the mess it created. It was my problem now.
      Any suggestions?

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • spwolf
        spwolf conexware last edited by

        I think the biggest problem here is that you do have to start from start ;-). I dont know how can PowerArchiver explain what are file associations in Windows and how they work for instance - it is general knowledge, or it should be. Just like in your engineering class, I am sure you sometimes had students who did not have enough prerequisite knowledge to understand your lectures…

        So let me try to explain few things:

        • CRC
          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclic_redundancy_check

        CRC is short hash of every file in every archive, that is done automatically during creating of the archive and serves to identify if files are still valid in the archive, after extraction. Common issue that happens is corruption of archive during download/upload process or CD/DVD media that goes bad and corrupts files on it. In that case, PowerArchiver will report an CRC error (files that are being extracted are not the same as files that were originally compressed). Of course, this is the most common cause, it could be something else as well.

        File associations in Windows - when you say PA takes over file associations, it is just that it sets itself (based on your confirmation) as default double-click option. So if PA or WinRar or WinZip are set as default programs to open certain extension, it does not mean that other programs can not open it. It just means that they open it by default. To open archive with other program, you can for instance, right click on it in Windows Explorer and select one of the shell extensions to use… or right click on archive and select Open With… menu. Or you can open program such as WinRar, and then use its Open button/menu to locate archive and open it.

        In PowerArchiver, you can disable any specific (or all) file associations by going to PA> Options> Config> File Formats.

        Was this at least a bit helpful? Thank you!

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • Micke
          Micke Alpha Testers last edited by

          Hi!

          @jojothehobo:

          My suggestion is to have a visual quickstart guide taking people through the basic tasks like unpacking a zip or rar archive and storing the program, music or what ever some place convenient.

          Have you checked the Help section in PA? In the section “Getting Started – Brief Tutorial” there’s basic instructions of how to Create, Add, Remove, View and Extract.

          @jojothehobo:

          Instead it tells me my CRC file is off. I don’t recall having a CRC file for this archive. The program then asks if I just want to skip it, and I click yes. But Power archiver does nothing, sort of like a street tough daring you to do something and letting you know you have the problem and not Power ARchiver.

          It sounds like your problem is that you have a corrupt Archive that can’t be repaired. You can’t blame PA for this, it would be the same if you had a corrupt image that the image program couldn’t open, then the problem is not the program itself but bad corrupt data that’s used to open with the associated program.

          Kind Regards
          Micke

          J 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • J
            jojothehobo @Micke last edited by

            Thanks for both replies. I particularly appreciated the Wiki on CRC. I was always curious how they were worked out and what was behind them.
            I think my CRC error is what messed up the file conversion. What I will do is try other archives and work with PA to get the hang of it. It truly is the most fully featured and flexible file archiver around.

            all the best, Joel

            J 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • J
              james77grant @jojothehobo last edited by

              Was struggling with something and you post inadvertantly helped. Yeah, can be a little tricky to get your head around at first.

              Thanks again,
              James

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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